Annie and Luke
by Elarina Caticson
Summary: [Team Finity, Book 1] All Annie Zinc has ever wanted is to be the greatest Pokemon trainer in the Mica Realm. But when an ordinary crush becomes extraordinary, Annie discovers she is destined to become something greater.
1. Prologue

**Types(people)**

Normal: Mixture of other types

Lightning: People of Lightningland

Lazer: People of Lazassa

Fire: People of Firenasa

Water: People of Waterania, excellent swimmers

Grass: People of Plantassa, skilled farmers

Ice(Icotopes): People of Icotopia

Shadow: People of Shadowton, generally live underground

Fur: People of Furlandia

Stone: People of Stonanda

Steel: People of Stelalia

Cloud: People of Cloudsa, with airy cytoplasm that makes them naturally lighter than other types

Ice tea: People of Icetania, or ice-grass-water types

**Types(Pokemon)**

Normal: Eevee, Castform, Ditto, and Type: Null

Lightning: Store and release electricity

Lazer: Control light

Fire: Control high temperatures

Water: Store and release water

Grass: Grow plants at high speeds

Ice: Control water at low temperatures

Shadow: Capture light and release it in the form of darkness

Fur: Pokemon that would otherwise be normal types, with "fairy" attacks

Stone: Can manipulate nearby materials and change them to rock

Steel: Found in developed areas and use tools to battle

Cloud: Lightweight Pokemon, or Pokemon that can fly

Ice tea: Control scents, tastes, and poison

Psychic: Espeon and evolutions of Ralts

**Regions, capitals, and leaders**

Normalia: Normalia City(no leader)

Lightningland: Zarrgonn(President Zygarde Zircon)

Lazassa: Zaptown(President Lysandre Actinium)

Firenasa: Coal City(President Grun Oxygen

Waterania: Vaporville(President Greninja Iron)

Plantassa: Leafsburg(President Nick Radon)

Icotopia: Freezerburg(Queen Diantha Zirconium)

Shadowton: Ghosttown(Prime Minister Liliamaura Klikouski)

Furlandia: Brushingham(Prime Minister Roselia Bohrium)

Stonanda: Rocksville(President Weezing Molybdenum

Stelalia: Ironton(King Cobalion Regalia Nobelium)

Cloudsa: Wisp City(President Fennekin Potassium

Icetania: Minty(President Mira Calcium)

**Nonregions**

Border: an electric border at the edge of the Mica Realm

Great Ocean: A great ocean at the northeast corner of the Mica Realm

Infinity Mountains: Mountains shaped like an infinity symbol. At one valley is Lookout City, and at the other is Lookout Lake.

Interdimensional Abyss: A deep chasm that teleports people to the third dimension if they fall on the north side, and to the Diamond Realm on the south side.

Lazer River: A long river travelling south down the length of Lazassa, from the Great Ocean to Zaptown

No-Return Plateau: An arid plateau inhabited by thousands of hungry dragon Pokemon

Shadow Abyss: An underground chasm that falls into darkness, rumoured to never end

Windy Plateau: A plateau rising thousands of meters above sea level, subject to stormy weather

Seven people stand around a table. Though they are from different regions, they look upon each other with the respect of Normalians.

A woman with silvery white hair says, "We need to make a decision."

"You have been saying that since you died," her husband replies. "Honestly, you keep forgetting your ability skips several generations."

"But it _has_ been several!" the woman hisses. "My great-grandson will be the perfect person to bear this weight!"

"No," a young woman with ginger hair replies. "I knew who his father was. I was his role model. And if I was so unsuccessful ...Shall I dare express my fears for their relationship? His father is destined to live a life of pain and misery. Misery other people will feel in their own time."

A lightning-type couple start crying at this moment. "Our son," the woman gasps. "He struggled so much when he lost us. Perhaps that has made him hate so many innocent people."

"Never mind," the first man replies. His ice-blue hair appears to glow in the faint moonlight. In a dimension without daytime, this is the brightest it will ever be. "We do have other options. What about the young boys descended from Braixen?"

The silver-haired woman shakes her head. "No," she says. "They are dealing with the loss of their mother today, but we can't wait. We have to choose now."

"But the middle child is perfect for this!" exclaims her husband. "He still has his father, and his name is a psychic type. Remember the rules, dear."

His wife sighs. "Psychic in the Diamond Realm. In the Mica Realm psychic-types are so rare that we can't only use people with names like Kirlia or Gallade. Yes, I remember the rules, _dear_."

"Yes," replies her husband. "And you can't break them."

"Yes I _can_," she insists. "I have the power."

"But you don't know how to use it," the man argues.

"Yeah, that's right," A small girl of about nine replies. What appears to be a scar stretches from her forehead to her left cheekbone. "You could _die_."

Her blue-haired sister gave a small shudder.

"Don't be ridiculous," the ginger-haired woman snaps at them. "She can't die because she's already dead."

The girls shrink back into a corner.

The woman moves closer. "Don't be afraid of death," she says to comfort them. "You two are dead, yet you are able to live your lives as fully as any two-dimensional children."

The blonde girl lets out a sigh of relief. "I think the Crystal Realm is the best dimension of all," she says. "We can't fall down the Interdimensional Abyss."

The ginger-haired woman rolls her eyes before walking back to the table. "Just continue with your conversation, please."

The silver-haired woman sighs. "A girl was born today. She could succeed me ..."

Her husband sighs after her. "She doesn't have a psychic-type name, though. You can't break the rules."

"Maybe not," his wife replies. "But I could bend them a little…"


	2. Chapter 1

_Team Finity, Book 1_ All Annie Zinc has ever wanted is to be the greatest Pokemon trainer in the Mica Realm. However, she has a few things holding her back. First, there's the fact that her family has no money. Second, Annie doesn't study when she finally attends school at the Pokemon Training Academy, instead relying on her excellent memory. Third, she's distracted by her crush, who is the son of two important region leaders.

But when regions collide, things change. Annie discovers that her dreams come true, but not in the way she expects. Does her friend's heritage have anything to do with this, or is she just unlucky?

The clock ticked by, showing five minutes until 3:00. I scribbled down answers, answers to my pre-algebra exam.

It wasn't really pre-algebra, it was more like _pre-pre-algebra._ But whatever it was, it was hard enough. _x+12=30. Solve for x. If Kakuna has 19 razz berries and Jake has 25, what is the average?_

As I wrote down the x-intercept of y=3x+4, I realized that I had almost finished. If I hurried and didn't stop, I could finish the 60 question test. I let my thoughts wander…

An alarm cut my daydreaming in half, shattering my hopes of finishing the exam. I looked around to see if any of my friends had managed to finish.

Erin, my best friend, looked startled. Her grey-blue eyes were wide as she dropped her pencil.

Kate flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder as she handed back her test. If she hadn't finished, she obviously wasn't going to show it.

Ash, on the other hand, confidently gave the teacher ten pages of neat answers. The teacher's eyes flashed excitedly at Ash's brown ones. Ash Chromium had always had the best grades, failed the fewest tests, and helped Erin and me study. Kate acted like she was too cool for that, but I was certain she was helped by Ash like the rest of us. Otherwise her grades would have been a whole lot worse.

I was twelve, born on Zapach 3, 3203. I wanted desperately to be the greatest Pokemon trainer in the entire Mica Realm, and I knew that to do so I needed to go to the Pokemon Training Academy, or the PTA of Normalia City. But my parents couldn't afford that.

John Zinc had always wanted the best for his children Annie and Venonat. But he was a wheatgrass famer, which wouldn't matter except that we lived in an apartment. With less than a meter between the building and the sidewalk. In that tiny space was the most compact farm ever.

Beside the wheatgrass, there were three steps that Venonat and I called the stairway to heaven. The reason was because we could have a snack inside our house, or watch TV, or just sleep beside the radiator if it were cold outside(we enjoyed "roughing it" at the park so much that our own cheap apartment seemed wonderful).

My dad, a lazer type, married my mom, an ice tea type. Erin's dad was a lazer type and her mom was a fire type.

Most "type mixing" didn't occur, with a few exceptions. There were huge populations of water-grass-ice types, also known as ice tea types. Normalia City had huge populations of "normal types," a term used to describe people like me or Erin whose parents were different types.

I lived in the Mica Realm, a vast land that covered all of the second dimension. Legend said that it was created after a massive supernova, leaving behind two neutron stars and a lot of life-supporting planets. The Mica Realm was one of them. It was also known as the second dimension.

Between the Mica Realm and the third dimension lay the Interdimensional Abyss, a deep chasm filled with sharp stalagmites. Though they were fragile, none were broken because if you jumped in, you would never hit the bottom. You would simply be teleported to either the third dimension or the Diamond Realm(also known as the first dimension).

Other than that, we didn't really interact with other dimensions. People appeared beside the Interdimensional Abyss from time to time, most recently just last year in 3215. They usually just went back to their own regions peacefully.

"Hey Annie!" Erin shouted. "Are you walking home with me today?"

I sighed. Today was the last day of school, and I would never go back. I wanted to dwell on that fact in silence. Erin, Ash and Kate were all going to the Pokemon Training Academy, so I wouldn't see them very much during most of the year.

"No thanks." I waved goodbye to my closest friends before starting my long walk home.


	3. Chapter 2

All my friends were going to the Pokemon Training Academy of Normalia City. I wanted to go so badly, but I knew my parents couldn't afford it. Twenty mica chips for admission, twenty for the uniform, twenty for the textbooks… it was all too much. Even if we somehow managed to have that much money, that meant less food for several months, even a year.

I was only allowed to get a Touchpad 360 after I had my own job and paid for it myself. Really the only job available to children was the Dimensional Leaf Service, and you had to be thirteen. Besides, I didn't have a rake, so that meant making one out of sticks or picking up each individual leaf. I couldn't see myself doing that. I just tried to look cool and not act jealous when people photo-dumped each other's Touchpads, traded wristbands, and bragged about the size of them.

"Look at this 55-millimeter screen!" Richard bragged to Kate. "You could probably watch movies on this thing!"

Kate gasped. "How does it not fall off your wrist?" Richard shrugged and walked away.

That was two weeks ago at Normalia City Secondary School. One of two secondary schools in Normalia City. South Normalia City Secondary School was the other one. At least fifty people were going to the PTA. Not me.

It was a Saturday morning. I rolled out of bed, almost falling on top of Venonat, who slept directly below me on our shared bunk bed. Being on the top bunk doesn't give you an advantage. It just gives you slightly more privacy.

He turned around, frightened as I landed within a quarter inch from him. "AHHHH!" he yelled. "I was about to get dressed."

I walked straight passed him, into the kitchen, where my mom was cooking rice. "You missed breakfast," she told me. "I saved you a bowl of oatmeal and an apple, but you really need to wake up earlier than this if you want to go to the Pokemon Training Academy."

At her words I froze mid-bite. A piece of apple peel seemed to get stuck in my throat. "The Fohemon Hrainig Acathemy?" I swallowed. "Sorry. What did you say?"

My mom sighed. "Your father and I have thought about this. It was a difficult decision. I wanted you to go to the PTA, and your father wanted you to stay home. We reached a compromise last night. You will study there for a year, like everyone else, and I will get a job to pay for it. If you fail, you will not go back the next year. Also, no complaining, and no excuses."

"But, Mom-"

"No excuses," she replied. "And that starts now."

* * *

I loved skating. I couldn't afford to go to Icotopia just to slide on a frozen pond, but fortunately the rink in Normalia was free. On Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays I could lace up my skates, glide to the center of Normalia, and hang out with friends there. The only rule was that you had to bring your own skates.

My mom was barely making any money working at Tacos For All, but she had bought me a pair of skates for my eighth birthday, four years ago. Though they were too large at the time, my mom had bought them this way because she couldn't afford a well-fitting pair. "Promise me you'll get out of the house more often," she had told me. "You need to spend more time with friends."

Unfortunately, I didn't know anyone there today. But I decided this would be a good time to win my blue streaks(eight-lap race). The winner got free popcorn at the snack bar, as well as blue stickers on their skates. The only people who don't go for it are the people with red streaks(twenty-lap race).

I blazed through the first seven laps with zero problems. I was way in the lead. Then I saw someone behind me. She shot past me, but she was only on her eighth lap. I was finished.

I felt the need to do some stunts since I had won, but I barely managed to spin before I slipped on some diet root beer. Food and drinks weren't allowed on the wooden floor, but some people still managed to sneak it out there.

Time seemed to stop as my right skate skidded and my arms shot out in an attempt to regain my balance. As the wheels on my left skate turned madly I felt my face burning. I was sure everyone's eyes were on me as I landed flat on my back.

As I went to the snack bar to claim my prizes, I relaxed a little. Most of the tables were occupied by women playing music from the 3100s. Then a blonde head turned around.

The girl was no older than I was, but was with a boy shorter than her. I assumed he was her younger brother. "Wow," she said in an annoying high voice. "Look at her." Her brother turned around.

I knew my face was bruised, and I knew that my hair was a little messed up from falling. But still, did she _really_ have to act like that? Fortunately, her brother just shrugged and muttered "whatever" barely loud enough for me to hear.

My face burning, I grabbed the popcorn and left.

* * *

"Where are you going?"

"Erin's apartment."

My face looked normal now. With two weeks before the start of school, my mom had started buying all my supplies from the local thrift store. Yesterday, I had come home to a huge pile of books and clothes on my bed. I couldn't help feeling disgusted at the acid green shirt and pants, but then my mom told me she would bleach them so they would match the purple skirt and shirt. Besides, each girl's uniform was supposed to reflect their personality, so I wouldn't get detention for wearing the wrong color.

My textbooks were a little battered, so I managed to hold them together with massive amounts of transparent tape. Then I set off for Erin's apartment.

Erin Copper had been my best friend since I was eight. My friends Luna and Ellie had gone to a different secondary school, so I decided to become friends with Ash Chromium and Kate Hydrogen. Ash was a month older than me. She was a fire-grass type and had long orange-brown hair. Kate was almost a year younger than me. She was a steel-fur type and very athletic, and had silver-grey eyes and wavy brown hair.

I was a little jealous of her. My own hair was pink and completely straight. But when I met Erin, my jealousy eased a little. She was a lazer-fire type, with ginger hair that looked like fire itself. She was a head taller than me, with grey-blue eyes that looked purple from a distance. All alone, she had moved from Firenasa a few weeks before school and had never met an ice tea type before.

She loved to skate too, but that wasn't why I was visiting her for the day. I wanted to tell her that I would be going to the Pokemon Training Academy, and how I hoped that we would get a few classes together.

I knocked on the door politely, but there was really no reason to. She had been friends with me for so long that we felt like sisters. _Since the first day of secondary school… _

Erin came to the door eventually. She exclaimed, "Oh, Annie, it's so good to see you!" Then she added, "We should meet all we can over break. It's not like you're going to the Pokemon Training Academy."

"You're wrong," I told her. "I'll be going to the PTA next year."

Erin took a step backward. A look of pure excitement came onto her face. "Wow!" she said. "Ash is going too, but all she really wants to do right now is study. And although Kate is going, she's more interested in making new friends and being popular than actual schoolwork. I'm so glad you'll be with me!"

I walked into her house to find her brother Yanma playing _Anímal_ on his Razz Berry computer. "Get off," Erin said. "I want to show Annie something."

She pulled up the school's website. "Look at this."

Only one hundred students were listed. I was number 99. "Wow," I said. "I just barely got in."

"No," Erin told me. "It's in alphabetical order." Next she clicked on her name. A schedule showed up. "Mom!" she yelled. "Can I print this out?"

Her mom yelled back, "Sure! Just don't print it in color!"

Erin shrugged. "Do you want me to print yours out too?" she asked. "So we can compare them?"

"Sure," I replied. "Let's look at Ash and Kate's schedules, too."

"Okay," Erin replied. "It looks like we have Types with Kate. It also looks like you and Kate have Skills at the same time."

"Okay, that isn't so bad," I replied. "What about Ash?"

Erin clicked on Ash Chromium near the top of the screen. "Well, I have Moves with her. I think that's it."

Yanma came back into the room. "I'd like to keep playing, now." Erin rolled her eyes and stepped away from the computer.

"So, the first day of school is what, Normuary 9?" Erin wondered.

"Yes," I replied. Normuary was the first month of the Mica Realm calendar, named for the normal type, even though the only normal types in the Mica Realm were Eevee, Ditto, Type: Null, and Castform. It was the twelfth month of the year now, Mistospray(Cloud) and would soon be Caffiember(Ice tea), the only month that was five days long. All the others had thirty.

At that moment, Erin's Touchpad 360 rang on her wrist. My mom's phone number showed on the screen.

"Hello? Mrs. Zinc?" Erin answered. "Ok. Annie, your mom wants you to go home."

I started to feel a wave of loneliness, before realizing that we would be going to the Pokemon Training Academy together.

_So this is what it's like to have money, _I thought. _Maybe I can finally achieve my lifelong dream._


	4. Chapter 3

It took me twenty minutes to get to the Academy.

"Oh, no, I'm late," I muttered, looking at my peeling wrist watch. Two minutes past eight. Maybe I could just make it to my locker before someone caught me. I had heard that Professor Aluminum didn't care much anyway, that he allowed students to be a few minutes late on the first day of school.

Fortunately, there was a list of locker numbers on the wall. I was assigned locker number 99. My combination was 36/12/18. I dumped my books in it and walked to class.

Professor Aluminum was a bald teacher with glasses. He said to me, "Don't ever be late again." I nodded gratefully and chose a random chair in the back of the classroom. Professor Aluminum had already taken roll, but since it was only the first day of school, it didn't really matter much anyway.

After an hour the bell rang. _Yes_, I thought. _No homework_. I went to my locker. There was a boy already there.

"Excuse me," I said. "This is my locker."

"I know that," he replied. "My locker is beside yours."

_Luke Zirconium_ was written in neat handwriting on his textbook. The lockers must have been in alphabetical order. On the other side of my locker was an athletic-looking shadow-type girl. I turned around. "So, your name's Luke, right?"

The boy stared at me. He had messy blonde hair and blue eyes, as well as a look of surprise on his face. He was the annoying girl's brother.

"I saw you," he said. "At the rink."

"I was earning my blue streaks," I said proudly, trying to impress him.

"Oh yeah," Luke replied casually. "I got my red streaks like a year ago." Then he left.

My next class was Regions. I walked in to find a brightly lit classroom filled with maps of all the regions in the second dimension, as well as the Infinity Mountains(Mountains in the shape of an infinity symbol), the Windy Plateau, the No Return Plateau(Inhabited by thousands of hungry dragon Pokemon), the Shadow Abyss(A chasm rumored to never end, beside the region Shadowton), the Interdimensional Abyss, the Lazer River(beside the regions Lazassa and Firenasa), and the Great Ocean.

Then Professor Alloy walked in, and a cloud literally went over the sun. The classroom was thrown into shadow as our teacher walked in. "I hope you like those seats," she said, "I really hope you like them. Do you?"

A blonde girl with glasses nodded her head vigorously and smiled at Luke, who was sitting beside her. At least I know someone in this class.

"Good," Professor Alloy replied. "Because you'll be keeping them forever. I'm not one of those teachers who lets you sit wherever you want."

The blonde girl ran her hand through Luke's hair. Luke moved away and straightened it. "So we're sitting here forever?"

"Yes," Professor Alloy replied. "Unless you want to change them."

"Ye- no," Luke said.

"Okay," Professor Alloy confirmed. "Now I'll go in alphabetical order, and you can tell the class a few things about you. Just your name, your type, and something you love. Now Miss Arsenic, you can go first."

"I'm Ava Arsenic, I'm a lazer-shadow type, and I love the artist DC." DC was the writer of the catchiest, most annoying songs.

Professor Alloy nodded. "Bayleef Boron."

The girl beside Luke started talking in an annoying high voice. "I'm Bayleef Boron, I'm a steel-fur type, and I _love_ my boyfriend."

Luke turned the color of his red shirt as Professor Alloy continued with her list. _They must be dating._

I wasn't used to the idea of teenage dating, but I was pretty sure this wasn't true love. It was _eat at the skating rink together_ love. Though Bayleef and Luke both had blonde hair and glasses, it was obvious now that they weren't related.

And even though Bayleef had been annoying that one day, I wasn't going to retaliate. By seeking revenge, I could be missing an opportunity for a great friend.

"Miss Zinc? Can you tell the class something about you?" Professor Alloy asked.

I said, "Well, my name is Annie Zinc. I'm a lazer-ice tea type. And I love my parents."

The whole room fell silent. The only sound was Bayleef twisting around in her chair.

_So stupid,_ I thought. _I had one chance!_ I could have said "I love my shoes" or "I love skating" or something else accurate but not embarrassing—

"Luke Zirconium," Professor Alloy finally said.

Luke stood up. He turned away from Bayleef and said, "My name is Luke Zirconium. I'm a lightning-ice type, and I love hockey."

He sat down and Bayleef messed up his hair.

"All right," Professor Alloy said. "Open your textbooks to chapter one…"

The PTA didn't have a cafeteria. Instead, students ate in the courtyard or the gym. There was no free lunch(my parents were unhappy; I wasn't), so all students had to bring their own. Though I had all the staples of a generic student lunch(generic sandwich, chips, and misshapen apple, all served in a generic paper bag), it didn't include any pre-packaged junk food, so I borrowed some from Erin.

"Thanks," I said when she handed me a package of oran berry sandwich cookies. "How are your classes? Your locker?"

"Well, I just came from Skills," Erin said. "After a few minutes, when I looked around, all the students were asleep. Professor Carbon didn't even care! My locker is really dirty," she added. Ash gave a small shudder. "There wasn't any gum, fortunately. I'm between Rex Cobalt and Alexis Cradone."

Kate jerked her head up from her Touchpad 360. "She's the most popular girl in the whole school! You are so lucky!"

Ash shrugged. "I have Types with her. She doesn't seem that different from all the other girls. I don't see anything special about her."

"Yeah, and what's with her name?" Erin wondered. "Is she three-dimensional or something?"

"She's a shadow type," Kate hissed. "Shadow types don't have elements for last names like we do, don't you remember?"

"Sorry," Erin muttered apologetically. "Forgot about that for a second."

"Well, don't do it again," Kate said. "You're not going to help me become popular that way." She picked up her books and left.

Ash shrugged and joined her.

* * *

By the time I got home, I was exhausted. I had homework in three classes, and Coach Argon made us run 2 kilometers in Physical Training. I took a nap for a few hours. When I woke up, it was 7:30. I ate dinner as fast as I could and got to work on my homework.

_Regions- choose a region you visited at some point and describe your experiences there._

_Moves- What is an attack you want your Pokemon to learn? Explain why._

_Skills- Draw your favorite food on a piece of paper. On the back, write an interesting fact about you. Due Friday._

I saved my Skills homework for last, since it was only Monday. But the rest of the week, I got even more. _List five ways a Pokemon can evolve._ I once ate a bag of Cheezee potato chips while doing my homework, forgot to write my name on it, and suffered the consequences when Professor Alloy held up the sheet in class. "Only fat people eat that kind of junk," said Bayleef while she was messing up Luke's hair.

He replied, "Orange is my favorite color," and pushed her hand away, as I tried to sink lower in my chair.

The PTA was a fairly new building, built three years ago. Government officials had looked at expanding it so it could hold more children, such as multiple years, but it simply didn't have enough money. So they came up with the solution of monthly dances.

The cost was one mica chip, but you could bring in flowers people bought for 1MC. That way, I could attend the dances for free.

Money was still a problem in my family. Drought had struck the fields near Plantassa, which was where most wheat was grown. Soon, my father was ranked among the top wheatgrass farmers in the Mica Realm. Since all the wheatgrass he grew was inside our apartment, it was not affected by the lack of rain.

My mom was desperate to get higher tips at Tacos for All. She began wearing more makeup, and was even accused of flirting with a "single male customer." She told him that was all garbage because she was married and had two children. The restaurant let her keep her job, but would fire her after the next offense.

I was struggling in a few of my classes. I was okay in Regions and Types, but constantly mixed up moves. By the end of Normuary, I had a grade of 76 in the class. As someone who had mostly gotten Bs and As in secondary school, this was an issue. Yet however hard I studied, I simply couldn't remember the difference between hydro pump and hydro cannon, or quick attack and agility. I refused to complain, not because of the rules, but because when I got home, and saw the potted wheatgrass stacked precariously, I forgot all my worries and made tea for my dad. Because I knew this would help me in the future. Because I needed to work on my homework. Because when I grew up, I wasn't going to mess around. I was going to be the best Pokemon trainer in the Mica Realm.

I just didn't know how.


	5. Chapter 4

People at the Pokemon Training Academy seemed to have a very limited vocabulary. All they really said beyond a select list of curse words was "sucks" and "doesn't suck." There were a few people who didn't find it logical to scream colorful asterisks at other students, but they were far outnumbered. Among these few were Ash and Luke.

Professors Alloy and Iron banned all use of these words. They couldn't really punish us though, because the only punishment available to students was detention. Kate was furious about this, however.

"How can I be popular if I can't curse like the popular girls?" she said. "This sucks! Even Alexis Cradone agrees that the rules here are stupid!"

I had met Alexis Cradone, and she looked just like a normal shadow type with her black hair, blue eyes, and extremely pale skin. Apparently she had moved from Shadowton a few weeks ago, and all the girls worshiped her. She hadn't even dated anyone yet.

More than once, Kate had left the tree that Erin and Ash hung out under in the courtyard during lunch. Being popular was her biggest goal, and she didn't let anyone forget that.

Fortunately, I didn't have to deal with that in Moves. Kate was in Professor Alloy's class, while I was under the tinted glare of Professor Iron.

"Get a move on!" he growled. "Harvey could have done this in half the time!" Harvey was his Goldeen who had died twenty years ago.

"Ouch," Luke muttered under his breath. "Why don't they teach this stuff in primary school?"

We were learning how to open and close a poke ball properly. Fortunately, my dad had used them to store excess fertilizer when I was younger, so I knew how it worked. But Luke Zirconium, in his lightning-yellow Crowbolts jersey and shorts, had no idea. He wiped his bloody finger on a page of notes as Bayleef ran up to him.

"Ohmygosh, Luke!" she gasped. "I'll get you a bandage!" What Luke saw in her, I had no idea. They had been dating for two months now, while other couples lasted only weeks. I could hardly talk to Luke without her watching me. They did _everything_ together.

The bell rang. _Yes_, I thought. It was time for physical training, when effort mattered more than anything. Where people were too exhausted to make fun of each other. When I could forget everything happening between Bayleef, Luke and me.

Unfortunately, we had to walk around the school for ten minutes every day at the start of class. With all one hundred students.

Including Erin.

"Hey Annie, guess what? I'm dating Mike!" she shouted.

_Eeww_. "Mike Sodium?"

"Yes!" Erin replied. "Don't get that look on your face. I know you're just jealous."

"Of you and Mike? No way!"

"No," said Erin with a _look_ on her face. "Bayleef."

"Of course not," I replied. "Why would I be jealous of-" I broke off as the words sank in. "How…"

"I've seen you two together," said Erin. "You like him."

"Yeah, whatever," I muttered. "It's not like that matters so much. You don't have to tell the whole world."

Ash and Kate appeared around the corner. "Sorry," Ash said. "We couldn't help but overhear your conversation. You guys would make such a cute couple!"

Kate added, "Yeah, if only Bayleef would break up with him!"

Ash put her hands up to her face. "I am looking into the future… I see you and Luke kissing...getting married...kids going to school here…"

"SHUT UP!" I yelled...maybe a little too loud. I could feel my face burning as Luke and Bayleef walked around a corner staring curiously at us.

I had never been so embarrassed in my life. Instead of walking with Erin, I hid in the locker room for the rest of the period.

I hadn't told them something important- it was Luke's birthday tomorrow. Joltuary 6 was more special to me than my own birthday.

When I was turning four, I didn't know how to read. My aunt Heather had bought me a brand-new set of picture books- that:

I couldn't use by myself.

My parents couldn't read to me because they were too busy with baby Venonat.

On my seventh birthday, I invited seven girls from school. They all showed up wearing cute lace dresses while I wore jeans. Then one of the girls said she was allergic to wheatgrass and wasn't supposed to eat cake. But she ate it anyway and threw up right after, so all the other girls went home saying I killed their "bestie."

My parents had never gotten me anything too expensive, not because they didn't trust me, but because they just couldn't afford it. No Touchpad 360, no lace dresses, nothing they weren't absolutely sure Venonat or I could use. No video games, no FomeGunnz.

I was more interested in wishing Luke happy birthday. Or buying him a gift. A gift that cost less than five mica chips.

_If_ _only_, I thought. _If only I had just a little more money…_ I shook my head. It was better to brainstorm than to complain. Sitting at my desk. Venonat's desk. A desk split down the middle by purple marker.

Luke's favorite sport was hockey. I couldn't afford to get him a stick, helmet, or anything nice. When I researched cheap sticks, I found one at All-Buy for 2 mica chips. But it was still useless.

I bought it anyway. Junk was better than nothing.

Until I noticed that Touchpad 360 straps were 50% off. I bought one and glued it to the hockey stick. Then I wrapped it as neatly as possible.

"Wow, is that for me?" Luke asked. "Thanks!"

Bayleef was only three seconds later. "I made it myself!" Luke opened her gift to reveal an orange knitted hat. Liar. She had forgotten to cut the price tag off. But I wasn't angry at her. I was angry at myself. _Orange is Luke's favorite color, and I got him black! _I wanted to scream. I was so stupid.

"This _is_ really cool, Annie," Luke told me. "Bayleef says orange clashes with my shirt. I guess that's the downside of a school uniform."

"Is there an upside?" I joked.

He laughed. "I don't think so. My dad says that when he was in school, he didn't have to wear a uniform."

"Where did your dad go to school?" I asked.

"The Pokémon Training Academy of Lightningland," Luke replied. "He's a lightning type. My mom met him there."

"Wow," I said. "My parents met in college." I decided not to tell Luke about their money situation. "They found an apartment in the middle of a dilapidated neighborhood." It was true. Though the floorboards in my house squeaked and vines grew up the sides, it was the most habitable apartment in my neighborhood. The other houses, built in the 3000's, were home to thousands of snakes and rats. Since we were tiny children, Venonat and I were forbidden from going inside because the floors were too unstable. "My dad says an engineer fixed the place up before selling it. The couple that lived there sold it cheaply in fear that it would collapse. It's the best in the neighborhood."

Luke was silent. "I've never moved," he said. "My home will always be in Icotopia."

"_No_," I rasped. "_It will not be your home ever again."_

Luke stared at me. "Are you okay? What did you just say?"

"I don't know," I replied. "Sometimes I just forget random stuff. I don't know why."

"Do you want a cough drop?" Luke asked me. He looked a little confused. "I keep some in my locker."

"No, I'm fine," I replied. "I'm not sick." I really couldn't explain what had happened.

"Ok," Luke said as Bayleef glared suspiciously at me.

The bell rang, saving me from this conversation. I raced out of class before Luke or Bayleef could stop me.


	6. Chapter 5

I picked a bundle of wheatgrass flowers quickly. There was a dance tonight, and I needed to pay. I just hoped the wheatgrass would be acceptable.

I raced to school as fast as I could. I wasn't exactly a morning person, and getting to school before 8:00 AM was proving to be difficult. I had to wash my uniform every night as well as help my dad with his farming. I had had to gather the flowers early in the morning so he wouldn't cut them with the rest of the wheatgrass.

Luke was unsuccessfully trying to shove his entire backpack into his locker. He had crammed his helmet and skates inside, and now it didn't fit.

"Hi," I said. "Do you have a game tonight?" Luke was the youngest player on the Crowbolts hockey team, and had gotten special permission from his dad.

"Right after school, against Icotopia," he sighed. "No time for me to teleport home first."

"How long do they last?" I asked.

"Oh, about two to three hours, usually," Luke replied casually. "But sometimes it's a tie, and we have a rematch. Dad says if he could, he would crush those lame Icotopes(Slang for ice-types)."

"Oh," I replied, not listening. "Maybe you could take your stick out? Then your bag would fit."

"Whatever," he replied, rearranging his equipment. "Hey, it actually worked! Do you mind if I keep my stick in your locker?"

"Sure," I said, walking to class. "Just remember to lock it behind you."

* * *

"Eeww," said Bayleef. "Did someone barf on your long underwear?"

"No," I replied. "It's just the lighting." Actually, I was fairly certain that my dad had used these pants to dry his wheatgrass, but I wasn't about to tell Bayleef. Instead, I left the room to search for Luke. In the hallway, I bumped into Erin.

"There you are!" she exclaimed. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Yeah, that's great," I replied. "Have you seen Luke?"

Erin rolled her eyes. "He's not here," she told me. "Either that, or he's doing a very good job of hiding. But those two are here if you're just looking for a popular boy." She pointed to where Mac and Mason were standing.

Luke's words sounded in my head. _About two to three hours, usually. But sometimes it's a tie, and we have a rematch._ I had wanted to buy him a soda, especially since his relationship with Bayleef was dying.

Mac whispered something to Mason, and they scuttled away together. Whenever Luke wasn't with one of them, they were together.

Mac was a stone-cloud type, with messy brown hair and blue eyes. Mason was a steel-cloud type with dark brown hair and grey-blue eyes just like Erin's. They were Luke's best friends.

The DJ started playing a song called Fishin' by DC, an anonymous artist. It was catchy— and annoying. Erin jumped up and shouted, "Come on, Annie! Let's dance!"

"No," I replied. "I'm going to go tell the DJ the difference between good and bad songs."

I walked to the front of the courtyard to where the DJ was yelling, "Discs-A-Spinnin's in the house tonight ready to hook y'all up with some aw'some new music! Young lady, what song floats y'boat tonight?"

"Krush," I said. It was the most popular rap song in the Mica Realm, according to interdimensional websites.

"Sorry, w'don't have it!" Discs-A-Spinnin' replied. Then he started playing the theme song for a children's TV show called Plusle and Minun. _One plus one equals two…_

"That's it," I muttered. "I'm leaving. I don't care that it's only 8:30."

Erin rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'll be hanging out with Kate." Ash refused to come to school dances, saying they were a huge waste of money.

On the way home, I imagined Luke, with the Lightningland Crowbolts, playing against the Icotopia Articunos. Maybe I could watch the game on TV tonight. Though the Crowbolts were the only team without a Pokemon mascot, they were one of the best hockey teams in the Mica Realm.

Icotopia and Lightningland had the best hockey teams, but the Firenasa Moltres's were also at the top. Apparently this had been going on for years.

The Cloudsa Jigglypuffs was completely cloud-types, and their cheerleaders "seemed to float like birds" whenever they were in a pyramid formation. Recently they had started to win a lot of their games.

A Honchkrow screeched somewhere over my head, and I was reminded of how late it was. The weather had been unusually warm today, making me misjudge the time. But it was 9:00, and though it was almost twenty degrees, Venonat would be asleep and I didn't want to disturb him.

"Mom, I'm home," I said. "Do you want tea?"

"Sure," she replied, her violet hair red in the artificial light of the living room. "But we're out of milk."

"Okay," I responded, distracted. I really wanted to ask my mom some questions, but it would be easier if I had an excuse to stay downstairs so late. Soon she would send me upstairs.

"How did you and Dad find out you loved each other?"

My mom looked surprised. "Well, we kind of just looked at each other and thought―"

"Never mind," I said. "What I meant was _how did you know Dad loved you."_

My mom smiled. "I could see it in his eyes, the way he―"

"Never mind," I said again. "I'm going to bed."

It would be the last night I slept peacefully.


	7. Chapter 6

"Bayleef and Luke broke up." That was the first thing I heard Monday morning.

The PTA was silent. The school's cutest couple had dated for a record of three months, and it hadn't taken much for their relationship to fracture.

"I can't believe it," whispered Marlo. "They were destined for each other…"

"Are you okay?" I asked Luke. "You know, I saw Bayleef at the dance. She seemed rather… anxious."

"She's always like that," Luke replied. "To be honest, she's very annoying."

I knew this was a huge opportunity, but I was too tired to think. My dreams the last two nights had been unsettling, though I remembered nothing about them. Though I had slept all night, I would wake up feeling like I had swam across the Great Ocean.

So when I got home, I just collapsed.

* * *

There was a voicemail on my Touchpad 360.

"Hey—can you come to the rink today and hang out?"

"Sure," I replied. Skating was what I did best.

At the rink, I saw Kate Hydrogen, Marlo Xenon, Alexis Cradone, Ava Arsenic, Dave Krypton, Harry Potassium, and Rex Cobalt. The most popular students at the PTA.

Bayleef rushed up to me. "Where _were _you last night?" she yelled. Everyone was staring at me.

"Uh… my hockey game?" I said. "I'm sorry it lasted so long."

Bayleef glared at me. "Dating someone means putting them above your beloved hockey games, Luke," she said.

"Well, hockey is my life," I told her. "I'm not giving that up for you."

There were a few _Oh_s from our little audience. Bayleef looked even angrier. "Well, you can say goodbye to me and my friends," she said.

"No great loss," I responded, but I started to feel panic. _Now all the popular friends I have are Mac and Mason! Why is my girlfriend doing this to me?_

* * *

I was standing in snow, shivering. This was clearly Icotopia, with its pine trees and frosty air.

I stepped out of the trees into a clearing, and in front of a house I had only seen on TV. The hedges were carefully trimmed, and the huge stone structure was framed by pine trees _Zirconium Palace. _

A man stepped out of the front door. He was unnaturally tall, and his stiff blonde hair pointed directly backwards.

Two boys scampered out of the darkness. "Sorry, Professor," said one. "We tried to plan on Friday at the dance, but that pink-haired girl was everywhere. Looking for Luke, no doubt. She's crazy about him."

"Mac, you know I do not care," replied the man. "Mason, bring me some matches. They are in the kitchen near the stove."

Mason scurried inside the house.

The man turned on his Touchpad 360. "It's only 12:30. There's still plenty of time to carry out our plans. We just won't rescue Luke and Eevee."

_What? _I thought. _Luke lives in Zirconium Palace? His family must be rich! _

"Professor Zircon," said Mac, "You know I really care about destroying Icotopia, right?"

"Mac," Professor Zircon sighed. "We've been over this already. This is why I recruited you. You always seemed to hate that region."

_Mac and Mason are going to destroy Icotopia?_

Mac bowed. "I know Zirconium Palace is made out of stone, but it will be easy to burn down. The interior is mostly wood."

Mason came back with a box of matches. "They're the purple kind you like," he told Professor Zircon.

"Excellent," was Professor Zircon's reply. "To destroy an entire region, we need to destroy its symbols."

"But Professor," Mason asked him politely, "What if Luke and Eevee manage to escape? What will we tell them?"

"It was an accident," hissed Professor Zircon. "It was all an accident. Now, Mac," he added, "Set the nearest bush on fire. Don't move on until it catches."

Mac ran off as I woke up with a start.

* * *

**Okay, please know that the first section of this chapter is Annie's actual life. The second section was a dream she had from the point of view of Luke Zirconium. The third is a different dream she had, but from her point of view. I'm sorry if it's confusing.**


	8. Chapter 7

_Luke and Eevee are in danger,_ was my first thought.

_It's just a dream,_ was my second.

I slid out of bed as quietly as I could. Then I went downstairs into the living room. I logged into the family computer and typed _Zirconium_ _Palace_ into the Ditto search bar.

Unfortunately, I forgot that I had been text messaging Erin a few hours ago. In a few minutes she responded: what

Me: sorry

Her: i was sleeping what about zrconium palace

Me: Nothing

Her: you creep r u trying to visit his house in the middle of the night

Me: It's just a dream i had

Her: ooh tell me

Me: Mac and Mason were burning down his house with a strange man

Her: deep

Me: but I think it might be real

Her: its just a dream

Me: But I have this strange feeling that its real

Her: what ever talk to you tomorrow

Me: what should I do

Her: what makes you think its real

Me: because the president of lightlingland was there

Her: who we havent learnd that yet

Me: Professor Zircon I looked it up and he actually is the president of lightningland. My dream was right about that.

Her: I'm coming over to make sure your ok.

I couldn't think of what to say after that. I closed the browser and put on a jacket. I left a note so my parents wouldn't worry if they woke up, then went outside.

The air was cold, but I didn't feel the chill. I raced as fast as I could to Erin's apartment, and arrived as soon as she closed her front door. "We have to save Luke and Eevee," I told her.

She looked at me suspiciously. "Why are you so excited? And who is Eevee?"

"Well, we have to be," I told her. "I mean, it's a cold night, so being excited will warm you up. And Eevee is Luke's younger sister."

Erin rolled her eyes. "I'm not even going to ask how you know that. But I _am_ assuming you know how to get to Zirconium Palace. I'm not researching it for you."

"I looked it up before I left," I assured her. "I just need to take the teleporting ring. Can I borrow your teleporting pass?"

Teleporting was the main transportation of the Mica Realm. Though you could theoretically walk from region to region, it was much more convenient to step inside the teleporting ring and scan your teleporting pass inside. It was shaped like a half-circle, and was completely made of glass, even the door. Inside, there was a button for each region, that when pressed, activated the "dissolver" and the "stimulating simulator." At this point you had to make sure your hand was inside the ring, because if as much as a fingernail got caught in the door, your body would teleport away and leave the fingernail behind. In more serious cases, people's heads were sliced in half, and they usually died.

"Don't get caught," she told me, disappearing in a ring beside mine. Since I didn't have a teleporting pass(and couldn't afford one), it was technically illegal for me to use hers.

I pressed the Icotopia button and waited while it scanned me. I could feel myself disintegrating as I appeared in Icotopia a few minutes later. A light snow was falling. "It's too cold," Erin complained.

"It's Icotopia," I told her. "What did you expect, liquid water?"

"No," she replied. "Maybe it's just because I'm a fire type that I'm so miserable. Both your parents grew up in cold misty places."

"Wrong," I told her. "My mom grew up in Plantassa, one of the sunniest regions you'll ever visit."

We determined that Zirconium Palace was only three kilometers away from the teleporting ring, and it didn't take long to get there. Just like in my dream, it was a huge stone house with a colorful window above the front doors. As we watched, the bushes rustled.

"Quick, run!" I whispered to Erin, and we ran to the back of the house. I was pretty sure the movement was Mac and Mason, so we didn't have long.

We climbed over a hedge into a small yard. In one corner was a grill. Someone had left the door unlocked, so Erin and I were able to sneak in.

"Are you aware of all the laws we're breaking?" Erin whispered. "You teleported without a pass, and now we're trespassing."

I nodded. "But after we've saved Luke and Eevee, that won't matter." I just hoped that was true.

We walked into a blue room. There were no windows, but the room was very well lit. Though we were still on the ground floor, the walls sloped upward on all eight sides of the room. The ceiling was only a meter wide. It had a painting of a woman with ice-blue hair, as well as several squiggly lines. It was impressive, and the only thing casting a shadow was an ugly green couch in the center of the room. Erin took a picture.

The front door slammed shut, jolting me back to real life. _That's Mason running to get the matches. _Erin and I practically ran up the stairs as we looked for Eevee and Luke.

We split up, since the house was so big. We didn't have much time.

The first room I saw was a huge bathroom, with an actual bathtub and everything. It wasn't quite dawn yet, but the room was brightly lit just from the windows. My footsteps echoed on the polished floor as I left the room.

It wasn't long before I found Luke's bedroom. It was exactly as I imagined, with orange sheets on his bed, and a series of medals and trophies on his wall. I didn't wake him up, I just grabbed a suitcase and started shoving his medals and clothes inside.

Eventually, Luke woke up. "What are you doing?" he cried. "Thief!"

I forced myself to answer calmly. "Professor Zircon is outside with Mac and Mason, and they're about to burn your house down."

Luke shook his head. "No, that's not possible."

"Yes it is," I insisted. "Please hurry up and get your sister."

"Professor Zircon is my father."

"Your father…"

"And," Luke added, "Mac and Mason are my closest friends. They would never do such a thing."

I dragged him to the window. Outside, the first match blazed purple in the gray dawn light. "Now do you believe me?"

"I must be dreaming," Luke whispered. "My dad and friends would never betray me like that."

"They're not doing it because of you," I assured him. "They're just trying to destroy Icotopia. They think burning down Zirconium Palace is the easiest way."

Luke replied, "And they would be killing the queen's children."

"Wait," I said. "Are you saying Queen Diantha is your mother?"

We had learned about Queen Diantha Zirconium in Regions, of course. Apparently she had caught her head in the teleporting ring while on a date with her husband eight years ago. Normally she would have died, but because she was the last adult Zirconium alive, and the queen of Icotopia, the doctors had fought hard to save her. But everyone was certain she would never rule again. Icotopia was temporarily ruled by the rest of the region leaders in the Mica Realm Council. Queen Diantha's chair would always be empty.

"Get your sister," I told Luke. But there was no need. In a few moments there were voices in the hallway. _Erin must have found Eevee._

She opened the door. Beside her was a nine-year-old blonde girl. Eevee looked scared, but when she saw her older brother, the fear changed to relief in her pink eyes.


	9. Chapter 8

"No, I'm not albino," Eevee said, answering the question I hadn't asked. "My eyes are pink because of a surgery I had as a baby-"

"I'm sorry, but we really have to go," Erin interrupted. "I smelled a bit of smoke coming from downstairs. Did you two get everything?"

"Well, no," Luke replied. "I left my South Normalia City Secondary School yearbook in my room."

Erin rolled her eyes. "Get it and burn," she told him. "The rest of us are going to leave."

"No," I said. "I'll get it."

"What? Annie-" Erin broke off as I dashed away. I wasn't going to listen to her tell me how dangerous this was.

I dashed into Luke's room. _It's really clean in here, _I thought. _And this is such a beautiful wall color. Is it pine? No, it's too dark-_

The door slammed shut behind me, reminding me of what I was supposed to be doing. Luke's bedroom just had a desk, bookshelf and bed in it. Instead of a wardrobe, he had a built-in closet.

Where could his yearbook be? I checked the bookshelf, then the desk. _For a clean room, he really needs to organize it._

I sat down on his bed, giving up. Smoke was beginning to come under the door. _At least the door isn't locked, _I thought. _I can still leave. _But I had lost all motivation.

Something jabbed me on the leg. _For the son of two region leaders, Luke has a really uncomfortable bed. It's probably just a loose spring._

But it poked me again. It didn't feel like a spring. It felt rectangular.

I lifted the mattress off the bed frame. Underneath was a book. It was what I had been looking for the whole time.

The door fell over with a bang. Smoke filled the room. Coughing, I ran out of the now flaming doorway. I managed to fall down the stairs before running into Erin.

"There you are!" she exclaimed. "Did you manage to get Luke's precious yearbook? I was so worried!"

"Yes," I tried to say, but I started coughing instead. "Can we get out of here?"

"I'm trying to see," Luke said. "My glasses are sort of helping here. But even though I've lived here my whole life, this house is too big for me to determine our exact location. And the lack of oxygen is _not _helping me concentrate."

"Yeah, the smoke's really bad right now," Erin said. "Good thing we're not upstairs anymore."

The smoke was becoming so thick that it was now hard for me to see Erin, Luke, and Eevee, even though I was standing less than a meter from them. I instinctively dropped to the floor where there was less smoke. The heat was like torture. "Down here!" I wheezed.

Erin, Luke, and Eevee did the same. "I guess we'll just crawl outside," Luke muttered.

I crawled forward, and ran into a door. Standing up, I opened it. The light was blue instead of purple here. It felt familiar, but it wasn't until I ran into the avocado-colored couch that I remembered. "Luke!" I called, crawling back outside. "The blue room is in front of us!"

"The family room," he whispered. "Okay, I know where we are! We'll have to turn left, and then we can go out the front door." We crawled in a different direction, and suddenly my head hit wood.

"We've reached the front door," Luke said.

"It's locked," he added. Then he shrugged. "I guess we're all going to die in here. I'm so sorry."

"No, we're not," I muttered. "My dream must have included something about this…"

But it hadn't. My dream had said nothing about how to survive this. I realized that Luke might be right.

"Annie," Erin rasped. "Tell us about your dream."

"Well…" I started to say. "We don't really have time right now." Erin gave me what might have been a glare, but I couldn't see her face very well in the purple-tinted smoke.

"I was standing in the bushes near the house," I said. "Professor Zircon and Mac and Mason were talking about how they wanted to destroy Icotopia. They talked about wanting to destroy Icotopia's main symbols. To be honest, I was more interested in the beauty of your house than what your friends were doing to it. But I didn't see us or the house burning down."

"Wait," Luke wheezed. "You said they wanted to destroy Icotopian symbols?"

"Yes," I coughed.

"Well, on the front of the house, there are several markings that look kind of squiggly. They're the same as the squiggles on the ceiling of the family room. 3's everywhere."

"Are there any on the back of the house?" I was struggling to breathe.

"The back of the house? No," Luke replied, noticeably confused. "Wait-are you suggesting we go out the back door?"

"I say we try it," Erin wheezed quickly, for I could no longer speak without excessive coughing. "When Annie and I came here, it was unlocked."

"Run," Luke rasped.

So that was what we did. It was more like a terrified stumble, all of us holding hands as to not lose each other. Eevee had gone silent except for the occasional cough. None of us dared to speak and waste the limited oxygen. We were competing with the fire for breath.

It seemed to take forever to reach the back door. The wood plane was covered in purple fire, but Luke was able to kick it open effortlessly. We stumbled into the backyard of Zirconium Palace.

Luke stared at the grill. "Dad cooked so many veggie burgers on that thing." It was illegal to eat any kind of Pokemon unless the other option was starvation.

"Well, since Zirconium Palace is 350 years old and made of wood, I'm a little surprised it hasn't burned before," Erin gasped, as we slowly regained our breath.

"Oh, it has," Luke told us. "Kitchen fires have happened more than once. But it's never burned to the ground before."

"It hasn't yet," I whispered, unable to speak clearly, as we walked away from the burning mansion. "There's still time to call the fire department…" I trailed off as the main chimney collapsed.

"No," Luke said.

"What?"

He didn't answer for a few seconds. "You predicted this."

"What?" I repeated. "So it was my fault?"

Luke shook his head. "I don't know what happened. But Annie told me I would never live in Icotopia again when we were in Moves class on my birthday. It's what-Joltuary 28th now? So that was three weeks and one day ago."

"Or two weeks and eight days," I replied in a perfectly clear voice.

Erin glanced at me. "Okay?... You've been saying some random stuff lately…"

"I'm fine." My voice was scratchy again, and my throat burned as I spoke. "Let's get to the teleporting rings."

"Stop!" A voice shouted. "What are you doing at this hour? Why are your clothes burned?" We all spun around to find an Icotopian police officer yelling at us. "Where are you taking that girl?"

"Uhh…" Luke said. "She's my sister. Can we speak with your boss?"

I had to admire Luke's courage. Standing up to a two-dimensional police officer, took courage, especially since this one had an infamous Arrest Ball in his hand. Arrest balls were more commonly known as Captive Balls, and were used by policemen to capture lawbreakers who tried to get away. They had never failed.

I remembered that Luke was the son of two region leaders, but his blonde hair appeared grey in the dawn light, and in his ash-covered state, he didn't really look very wealthy.

Finally the policeman looked at us and said, "Very well." Luke breathed a sigh of relief.

We all did.


	10. Chapter 9

The officer led us to a small building, and into a room with five several chairs. "Officer Jenny will see you in a few minutes." (Not Ash's officer Jenny)

We sat, and after a few minutes a blonde woman entered the room. "What happened to you four?"

"Well…" Erin said.

We decided to tell the whole truth. Everyone was looking at me, so I explained rather nervously. Of course, I made up a few details so I wouldn't be sent to a mental hospital. "Luke Zirconium heard his dad-"

"Zygarde Zircon," Luke interrupted, giving me a _what-are-you-doing _look.

"Uh, yeah," I told Officer Jenny. "Luke heard his dad talking about destroying Icotopia and burning down his house. Luke and I are friends, so he called me. Erin and I decided that the matter was very serious, so we rescued Luke and his sister Eevee. Professor Zircon's plots turned out to be real, and we barely managed to get out of Zirconium Palace in time."

Officer Jenny looked at Luke. "So, you are the son of Professor Zircon and Queen Diantha? Is it possible to listen to your conversation with this girl here? What is your name?"

"Annie Zinc," I told her.

Luke shook his head. "The phone lines were burned."

Officer Jenny muttered something about how "old-fashioned houses use old-fashioned technology," and as she turned to go, said, "I'm sorry. I'm not able to arrest your dad, especially since he has enough money to sue me."

"Officer!" I called. She turned around. "Is it possible to create a team?" I asked.

Officer Jenny sighed. "You don't give up, do you? A team of three teenagers? And an eight-year-old?"

"I'm _nine,_" Eevee protested.

"Without a region leader sponsor?" Officer Jenny continued. "That is unheard of."

"Please?" I begged. "Just us. To give Icotopia hope and to protest against Professor Zircon's actions."

Officer Jenny sighed. "Just fill out this information sheet." She handed us a piece of paper.

_Team Name, Founding Members, Leader Signature, Motto, _and _Headquarters _were listed as required spaces.

I wrote down the address of my apartment and our names, but I wasn't sure what our name should be.

"Team Ice," Luke said.

"No, Team Annie," Erin argued.

Eevee said, "Team Zirconium!" so enthusiastically that we actually went silent for a minute. Then I said, "Team Finity."

Erin snorted. "Finity isn't even a real word. What does it mean, anyway?"

"I guess it's the opposite of infinity," I replied, more confused than her.

"So it's like Team Limited," Luke responded.

"No," I replied. "I guess it's like saying we can't do everything."

"I understand," said Eevee. "Basically we're just being modest. You guys don't want the world thinking that you're just a few stuck-up teenagers."

"Uhh...I guess?" Luke replied, clearly confused. "But have fun explaining that to everyone who asks."

"We still need to think of a motto," I reminded him.

We quickly trashed several ideas that Erin and Luke came up with, including _Lightning bad. Ice good. _and _Professor Zircon will die and eat lettuce and be picked apart by Spearow and fall into the Shadow Abyss and live in a shack_(We kept adding to the list). Again, Eevee threw out the inspirational idea of putting _Zirconium _in the motto. Finally the idea came to me to speak up.

"_When the trio calls, order will be restored._"

Everyone looked at me. "Sorry?" Erin asked.

I repeated what I had said. Luke sighed. "Sadly, that's the best we've got so far."

I shrugged. "Well, we could always use 3iπcσniwrm."

Luke jerked his head up. "What?"

"3iπcσniwrm," I replied. "You know."

Luke and Erin shook their heads. "No, we don't. Can you write it down?"

I wrote _3iπcσniwrm _on a piece of paper. Luke gasped. "Those symbols were on the front of my house."

Erin looked worried. "I've never seen them, and Annie and I were together the whole time. Annie, did you see them in your dream?"

I thought about this for a minute. "No."

"Okayyy...Annie, are you okay?" Erin asked. "You've been saying some really weird things lately."

"The smoke must be affecting me," I replied.

"Yeah, I guess," Erin muttered. "Officer! We're ready!"

Officer Jenny reentered the room. "Okay. Do you kids want coffee? There are cups outside."

Eevee said, "Dad says I'm not supposed to drink coffee until I turn 12. He says it interferes with my growth."

"I've never had coffee before," I told Luke and Erin. "What's it like?"

Erin snorted. "Taste it yourself. It's right there."

The coffee was...great. But I could feel it doing something strange to my brain at the same time. I didn't know if it was the caffeine, but I suddenly felt less dreamy and distracted, and more focused. The weird symbols and phrases that constantly floated around my head disappeared, and I suddenly didn't know how to pronounce that silly word 3iπcσniwrm.

"Okay, I can concentrate now," I told my friends.

"Good thing," Erin muttered. "The caffeine's probably just keeping you awake. It's 5:30 and we've been awake since 2."

"Yeahhh," Luke added. "You're probably just tired. I can definitely feel the caffeine hitting my brain cells. Helps on foggy, rainy mornings."

I giggled. "I thought it didn't rain in Icotopia."

"Well, why do you think my mood is so excellent?" Luke asked. "I like snow. I'm 25% ice."

"So am I," I replied. "Lazer-ice tea."

"Can you stop flirting for a bit?" Erin glared at us, annoyed. Eevee appeared confused.

"Uhhh…" I could feel my face turning quite red, and out of the corner of my eye saw Luke do the same.

Erin told Eevee, "So, sometimes, when two teenagers meet they start to act really weird around each other because-"

"Shut up, please," I grumbled. "I think she already knows."

Luke shot me a _thank you _glance as quickly as he could. "Officer, we would like to give you our information sheet now."

Officer Jenny said, "Thank Amaura- I mean, thank you. I could hear every word you said."


	11. Chapter 10

"Can we look at a list of teams on the computer?" I asked Officer Jenny. "Just for reference to see where we are?"

"That's fine," she replied. "But I think you'll be disappointed."

She pulled the list up on her computer, and we copied down the link we now had access to.

The list showed every single team in the Mica Realm, and it was arranged by the number of members. Team Rocket and Team Flare were at the top, unsurprisingly, each with several thousand members.

I scrolled down. Team Finity was ranked 112, just above Team Cypher, which was apparently an offshoot of Team Mystic.

"Now let's check Team Vicious," I decided, scrolling back up.

Erin looked troubled. "Team Vicious doesn't exist anymore. It hasn't for thirty years."

"Well, let's check anyway," I told her. I didn't see the name anywhere on the website. "It has to be here somewhere!" I added, frustrated.

Luke looked bothered, too, but he suggested, "Try a ctrl-F search."

I did, and a line of white letters appeared, invisible against the white background.

I clicked on the link. A close-up image of Professor Zircon appeared with another line of characters below it.

0/ oiui0 ib a00 yσu hauio oiuoiπ kmσam, whaA ib thoi pσimt im boiimg micoi?

At least, that was what it looked like. There were way more loops and it was slanted very far to the right.

"That's my dad's handwriting," Luke told us. "No one in the Mica Realm but him and my mom can read it. My grandma could before she died. One day she just accidentally teleported to the No Return Plateau. No one ever saw her again. We think she may have been eaten by a Charizard."

"Wow, your family seems to have a lot of teleporting accidents," Erin commented. "What were the names of your grandparents?"

"I never knew my mom's dad Chris," Luke told her. "But his wife's name was Adedle. _Eevee!_ What are you doing?"

Eevee was standing in front of the computer, reading what was on the screen. "Wow," she breathed.

In horror I read the article about Team Vicious.

_Team Vicious was founded on Zapach 24, 3127. The name was decided by the president of Lightningland Katrina Rutherfordium the previous day. Originally believed to have been a mistake, the name is not related to the actual activities of the team._

_It was originally created as a political party, supporting regional pride and was especially popular with the southeast Mica Realm, especially Lightningland and Lazassa. These regions are closer than any other geographically, though while Lightningland's harsh desert is uncomfortable to Lazassans, the average citizen from Zarrgonn(see our article _Major Cities & Capital of Lightningland_) will possibly freeze in the misty, forested mountains where Zaptown(Learn more _here_) is located. However, in the cold northwest regions of Icotopia and Icetania, Team Vicious was quite unpopular, even though Icetania's climate is exactly the same as Lazassa's. Please note that hyperlinks may not be available._

_After the death of Rutherfordium in 3140, Elphina Palladium of Firenasa became leader of Team Vicious, and to this day was the only leader not to rule a region. She retired in 3173._

_After Palladium retired, Russet Technetium, who had been elected president of Lazassa earlier that day, became leader for 13 years, just like the leaders before her. It was said by Voltorb Nitrogen that "her fiery hair would glow even when lit by nothing but moonlight." Known for her sharp but kind tongue, Technetium was the youngest leader of Team Vicious._

_She died at the age of 33, on Joltuary 6, 3186, after a FomeGunnz bullet was found lodged in her throat. On the bullet, Ictanian DNA was found. Medical professionals could not get to her body because of a gang of Icotopes trying to drive them off. They claimed it was to get rid of competition, as they worked for Team Rocket._

_Team Vicious dwindled between existence and destruction as thirty years went by. Zygarde Zircon, president of Lightningland, restored the team's original glory on the sixth of Joltuary-_

"That's my birthday," Luke gasped. "The day I turned thirteen. I wonder if that was why he chose it. I'm his only son."

"Yes, but you're also the oldest _kid_," I reminded him. "And Joltuary 6th was the day Russet Technetium died."

"Annie, you should probably finish your coffee. You barely touched it," Luke replied. "I could see something happening in our eyes, when you tried it. It was like you were a different person. Okay," he added, watching me drink. "Also, you acted like you knew who Russet Technetium was, the way you said her name."

"Who?" I asked, bewildered. "She was in the article, right?"

Erin raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

"Let's see," I said. "It says she had red hair."

"Well, it seemed like you knew who she was," Luke rolled his eyes. "I guess not."

"Who are Mac Helium and Mason Yttrium?" Eevee asked. "It says that they're our dad's top henchmen."

Luke made a suffocated noise. "They were my best friends until a few hours ago. Now my only friends are Josh and Annie."

"And me, Crowbolt-brain," Erin added. "I just saved you and your sister from your evil dad."

"Yeah, don't remind me," Luke replied. "It's not like—" he stopped suddenly. No one asked him to continue.

Eevee shuddered. "We don't have a house anymore." Luke nodded in agreement.

I sighed. "I can't believe Professor Zircon would burn down his own house."

"No," Luke told me. "He has a house in Zarrgonn. I've been there before. Since he's the president of Lightningland, he chose to live in the capital. It's not a huge house, like Zirconium Palace. Zircon Manor-that's its name-is just an ordinary apartment on the outside. On the inside it's really fancy, filled with obsidian and gold.

"When Dad gave me a tour, he couldn't take me everywhere because it was being renovated," Luke added. "That was just last year. Eevee went a few weeks later. Dad told us that if anything happened to Zirconium Palace, or if we just didn't want to live there anymore, we could move to his house. But I don't want to live there after what he did to Eevee and me."

"Don't worry," Erin told him. "You can live at my house."

"No," I told her. "Where would he sleep? You guys don't have an extra bedroom."

"Yanma and I could share," she replied.

"Your bedrooms are too small for two people to share," I pointed out. "Venonat and I have a much larger room. Besides, we have a large attic. Luke and Eevee can sleep there."

"So we're living with her now?" Eevee asked Luke.

"I guess," he responded.

We teleported back to Normalia City(it's really embarrassing when your friend's younger sister has a teleporting pass and you don't) and dropped Erin off at her apartment building. It was now seven in the morning. We had to hurry if we were going to make it the PTA on time.

It felt strange, walking early in the morning through the capital of Normalia while we were covered in ash. I felt fairly certain that Luke had never been in this part of the city before, and the scurry of rats in the shadows didn't really make it seem more inviting.

Finally we reached my apartment. "Don't step on the wheatgrass," I told Luke and Eevee.

We climbed the creaking steps and knocked on the door. And if I were my mom, I never would have opened the door to everything that lay beyond…


	12. Chapter 11

I imagined how we must have looked to my parents. We were covered in ash, and part of my sleeve was burned from when I had walked through the flaming doorway. None of us were wearing our uniforms.

"Mom, Dad, this is Luke and his sister Eevee." They didn't respond.

Venonat's head appeared behind them. "Who are they?"

"Go to your room, dear," my mom told him. "How old are you two?" she asked Luke and Eevee.

"I'm thirteen, and Eevee is nine," Luke replied. "Sorry for disturbing you. I'm one of Annie's friends from the Pokemon Training Academy."

"Their dad just burned down their house," I told my parents. "Professor Zircon," I added.

"Wait," my dad said. "Luke and Eevee Zirconium? Your mother is Queen Diantha?"

Luke nodded. This had to be difficult for him, when his dad had tried to kill him, his mother was almost dead herself, and my parents were standing before him, deeply concerned. "Do you want anything to eat?" my mom asked. Her husband glared at her. "Lily, we—"

"—Can help them," she interrupted. "There's breakfast on the table."

My dad watched in fascination as Luke ate three Chansey eggs, six pancakes, and a bowl of cereal. "I'm sure you ate that much when you were his age," my mom assured him. Eevee didn't seem very hungry, but she ate a piece of toast without complaint.

"So," my dad said. "Are you planning on staying here? Because if you do you'll have to answer my supposedly horrible jokes. Annie hates them."

"What? Dad…"

"Yeah, definitely," he continued. "What did the branch say to the pine tree?"

"Hey, that was one of Grandma's favorites," Luke responded. "Isn't it _I'll stick with you_?"

"Nope," my dad replied. "The correct answer is _check my resin-me!_" He laughed at his own joke, as Luke shot me a look of confusion. _Resume_, I mouthed to him.

Luke shrugged. "Where should Eevee and I sleep?"

"Well, there's a bed in the attic," my mom said. "You two can sleep there."

Luke nodded. But when we got upstairs, he frowned. "There's only one bed."

"For you and Eevee."

"To share?"

"Yes," I replied.

"But it's too small!" he protested.

"No, it's queen size," I told him. "Have you _never_ shared a bed with anyone before?"

"Well, no…" Luke said. "When my family goes on vacation, we get two separate rooms, one for Eevee and me, and one for Dad and—" At that moment he turned quite red.

"It's okay," I assured him. "I'm good at keeping secrets." Besides, Professor Zircon probably wasn't the first person to date someone other than his wife.

"Okay," Luke was obviously relieved. "We are definitely going to be late for school."

I smiled. "Who cares? The other option was certain death."

"Yeah."

"Oh, don't feel bad," I added. "I'm certain Professor Carbon won't treat you differently."

Luke laughed. "I doubt he notices a difference. I'm already making plans to sleep in his class today."

"Me, too," I replied. "I barely got six hours of sleep last night."

"Sorry," he responded. "Hey, if anyone asks, we're dating, okay?"

"What?"

"Yeah." He seemed rather uncomfortable with the situation. "Unless, of course, you don't want to…"

I stood up and stared at him directly in the face. "Luke, this is what I have wanted ever since I first met you."

"You mean it?"

"Definitely."

The two of us bounded down the stairs in a very unromantic way.

* * *

"Can you hear me?" Erin whispered. We were back in physical training, regardless of how tired we were. Coach Argon had ordered us all outside. "Ten minutes of walking," he had said. "If you don't walk at least three laps, you get detention."

"Yes?" I replied. "What are you doing, Erin?"

Erin had stood up on her toes, and appeared very tall that way. She whispered, "You should sing this to Luke," and stretched her arms high above her head.

"Stop it," I muttered.

Erin had a huge grin on her face. "Luke Zirconium, I really love you,

"Oh yes I do

"More than your dad will let us

"Let's grow with our Team Finity

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G

"Who cares what Mac and Mason say,

"I'd love to date today."

I was horrified. "Erin, after all this time, you'd do that to me?"

Erin appeared even more horrified than I felt. "Of course not! _You're _supposed to sing that to him!"

"Eeww," I told her. "I'm not doing that."

Hearing giggles behind me, I turned around.

"Who made that song up?" Alexis Cradone wondered, with Bayleef beside her, glaring at me. I noticed that Ash and Kate were trailing close behind, Ash looking rather unhappy about Kate's decision.

"Uhh…" Erin responded.

"Kate," I told Alexis. "Kate made that song up. She doesn't actually like Luke, though. We were just joking about it."

Kate glared at me.

But Alexis looked interested. "That's amazing," she told Kate. "I write cheesy songs all the time. If you eat lunch with me, I'll tell you all about it…"

"I wonder who she likes," Ash stared after them as they walked away.

"Well, I hope it's not Harry," Erin replied casually.

"You mean because he's so ugly?" I asked.

"What?" Erin looked at me. "He's not ugly." Her face turned quite red.

"Ohhh…" Ash said quietly. "You like him, don't you?"

"What?" I exclaimed. "Harry Potassium?"

Erin's face was almost as red as her hair. She muttered, "shut up," just loud enough for Ash and me to hear, and stalked off to walk alone. Ash and I shrugged.

"She's probably just tired," I guessed. "We were awake most of last night."

Ash looked at me. "I don't really understand that. What were you two doing?"

"Well…" I started. "I had this dream. Mac Helium and Mason Yttrium were about to burn down Zirconium Palace with Luke's dad. I had a weird feeling that it might be real, so Erin and I left in the middle of the night to inform him and his younger sister. Later, we created Team Finity to help unite Icotopia."

"That certainly explains why you two smell like a bonfire," Ash commented, "but there's something I don't really understand."

"Ask away."

"Well," she continued, "Why would Luke's own father want to kill him? And his two best friends?"

"They weren't doing it to kill Luke," I replied. "They were trying to destroy Icotopia."

"But why?"

"Professor Zircon is the leader of Lightningland," I told Ash. "But he's also the leader of something more. Something evil. He is the leader of Team Vicious."

Ash took a step backward. "But Team Vicious hasn't existed for thirty years, and it's not an evil team."

"Maybe not under Russet Technetium," I said, "but under Professor Zircon, who knows what could happen?"

Ash sighed. "I really don't know."


	13. Chapter 12

"Can I have a cup of coffee before I go to bed?" I asked my mom.

She gave me a _look._ "Since when do you love coffee so much? Of course not. It'll keep you awake all night."

I sighed. I wasn't sure if the caffeine would actually help with my dreams, but it had helped me focus today, so I assumed I had found the cure for my unusual dreaminess. The vivid dreams had occurred as long as I could remember, and more often than not I would wake up ready to scream as loud as I could. One of my earliest memories consisted of me announcing to my parents, "When I grow up, my husband and his best friend will be neighbors. You two will be at my wedding. I'll have a razz berry cake, and my brother will play for the Scratchemeowths." Venonat had not been born, and my mom had not yet discovered she was pregnant.

"Who told you this?" my dad had asked. "Did you dream all this up yourself?"

"Yes," I replied accurately. "Two girls told me. Teenage girls."

My mom had raised an eyebrow. "Where did you see them?"

"In my dream last night," I had told them. "You know. I just heard them talking. Sometimes I talk with them." My parents had rolled their eyes, and said that I had a big imagination.

I trudged upstairs. Though my family lived in a nice apartment for people so poor, the fact remained that there were two bedrooms, which meant Venonat and I shared one.

I opened the door to find him digging through the journals I had stuffed in my wardrobe. For a while, Venonat and I had shared one, but after a huge fight over who was the true owner, which resulted in my hair cut and Venonat's nose bloody, my parents sighed and made a trip to All-Buy. And where I had thoughtfully recorded my dreams and ideas, Venonat was sitting. He jumped up when he heard my footsteps.

"Annie!" he exclaimed. "I was just-"

"Get off the floor and out of this room," I interrupted. "I need to clean up in here."

I needed to find a better hiding place than my wardrobe. I unscrewed the light above my bed, and stuffed each of the six notebooks in the hole that appeared in the wall there. _I can't believe I didn't know about that._

One of the notebooks fell out. Venonat's Scratchemeowths bookmark was still inside, marking the page where I had drawn sketches of Luke and me getting married. I flipped the page. I had drawn an Eevee evolving into a rather small Pokemon with pointy ears. It would become either an Armoreon, the steel-type evolution of Eevee, Sulfeon(ice tea), or a Glaceon. But I wasn't afraid of Venonat seeing that.

On the next page was a drawing of an explosion. At least two people I knew would be killed. I didn't know who they were, or, more importantly, when it would happen. I just knew I wouldn't be able to save them.

Venonat reentered the room. I quickly slammed my notebook shut. "Hi, Venonat," I greeted him. "Don't read my notebooks again or I will make you join Team Finity." I etched the words _Team Finity _into the wood of our bunk beds to show him what I meant.

Venonat rolled his eyes. "Team Finity is a stupid name."

"I didn't choose it," I told him, to his disbelief. "So don't tell that to me. I think it's a stupid name too."

Venonat looked confused. "How can you not make up the name of your own team? Was it Luke's idea? Or Erin's?"

"No," I replied. "I guess it was my idea."

Venonat muttered, "Yeah, that's what I thought," and climbed into his bed.

* * *

"Wow!" my mom exclaimed. "Your grades are amazing!"

It was the 1st of Zapach. Since the first two months were over, our grades were written on a sheet of paper to be signed by a parent or guardian. This would also be the time where our grade point average would first be calculated. The students with the top five GPA would have their names displayed on the generic bulletin board in the main hallway.

"They are?" I asked.

My mom pointed to two A's and three B's. "That's honor roll. And your GPA is 3.4. Not bad."

"But Ash Chromium's GPA is 4.0," I told her. "She's already valedictorian."

"Your grades are fine, especially considering the fact that you've been under a lot of stress lately," she replied. "And you have no Cs. C is average, not low."

I sighed. _Why do I feel so miserable?_ "Thanks for signing the sheet, Mom."

She nodded. "I might get you something special this year for your birthday," she said. "Since it's in only two days."

_Two days?_

My head jerked up. "I'll be a teenager. In two days."

My mom nodded her head. "You're going to be thirteen years old! Oh, you're growing up so fast!"

I rolled my eyes. "Mom…"

"Anyone you want to invite?" she asked.

I gave her a _look_. "Maybe Ash and Erin. Not Kate, though. She'll be too busy with Alexis Cradone."

My mom shrugged. "Three excited friends are better than four bored ones."

"I guess."


	14. Chapter 13

"Surprise!"

My parents walked out of the shadows with Luke, Eevee, and Erin behind them. They were all holding wrapped gifts. It was Zapach 3rd, and I was officially thirteen years old.

I unwrapped my parents' gifts to find a 50-millimeter Touchpad 360 and teleporting pass. "Since you're the leader of Team Finity, you'll obviously need a way to get around," my mom said.

Eevee's gift was actually a card, poorly but sweetly made. It said "Happy Birthday Anie Zinc" across the front.

Luke and Erin each gave me a single in-line skate, and the two of them together formed the perfect equally-matching pair. I peeled my blue streaks off of my old skates and stuck them on my new ones. Luke muttered, "I got my red steaks like a year ago," but Erin's glare silenced him.

I was wondering where in the Mica Realm my cake was when my dad handed me a leash and a poke-ball. I frowned. "What's this for, Dad?"

The way my parents were smiling made me think there was something inside. I tapped the poke-ball against the table to find an Eevee suddenly in front of my face. It was extremely pale.

"There's something wrong with the color of its fur," I told my parents. "It's too light. Is it an albino or something?"

"No," my dad replied. "It's shiny."

"Shiny?" I gasped. "Where did you find it?"

"Under the Tree of Life," my mom said. "The others didn't like her because of her coloring."

_Her. The Eevee must be a female._ She swished her fluffy paintbrush-shaped tail and hopped into my lap, purring.

"We already gave her a bath," my dad added. "So you two can sleep together tonight."

I was a little overwhelmed. These were the best presents I had ever received, yet I didn't know what to do with them. I pulled my Eevee back into her poke-ball, thankful for the lesson in Moves. Luke muttered, "Ouch," just loud enough for me to hear.

Retreating to my room, I pulled my notebook out of the hole in the wall. Flipping to the page with the Eevee, I realized that I couldn't remember any colors from my dream. The drawing was in pencil, not specifying whether the Eevee was normal or shiny. _Could it be mine?_

I stared at my poke-ball. The Eevee wasn't my starter, which meant by the time I graduated from the PTA, I would have two Pokemon, not one. _I wonder what my starter will be._

We wouldn't get to choose between the twelve different Pokemon concealed behind blank white eggs, the idea being unbiased surprise. Of course, we wanted specific Pokemon to bond with, my personal favorite being a Zorua, the shadow-type starter. Erin claimed that if she didn't hatch a Fennekin, she would buy some bungee cords from All-Buy and pay a visit to the Interdimensional Abyss.

Different regions had different starters. Alexis Cradone claimed that in Shadowton, there were only two starters(Murkrow and Shuppet), but Kate was the only person who actually believed this. "Tell me more!" she had begged.

I put the notebook back into the hole. Clicking off the light, I tried to set up my Touchpad 360 without success. I fell asleep rather quickly that night.

* * *

"So you came," a woman said behind me. "Happy birthday."

I turned around to see two women who looked vaguely familiar. The one who had spoken was tall, with long wavy blonde hair and what looked like a scar over a quarter of her face. Her eyes were the color of pinap berries. "Who are you?" I asked.

"What?" responded the other woman. She was maybe a year younger, and was shorter and thinner with straight ice-blue hair. Despite these differences, they looked similar enough to be sisters. "You don't remember us?"

"Well, no," I replied. A memory surfaced at that moment, showing two teenage girls sitting beside me in a moonlit forest just like the one we were in now. "X? Y?"

"Sure." X, the blonde one nodded. "Just call us that."

"But don't you have real names?" I was confused. "Is there a Z?"

"Yes, there's a Z," Y's expression darkened. "But she won't be joining us for more years than you'll be alive."

"So she hasn't been born yet?" I wondered. "I don't understand."

"Never mind," Y told me. "It's not important." Her blue eyes reminded me of Luke's.

"But where am I?" I asked. "I mean, I recognize this forest and the way that the moon shines, but what is it called?"

"The Crystal Realm," X told me. Y gave her a look.

"It's like the Mica Realm, or the Diamond Realm," she explained.

I wasn't sure I fully understood, but I nodded anyway. My entire dream didn't make sense. "So why am I here?"

"You're a teenager now," Y said seriously.

X nodded beside her. "And you have a boyfriend. A boyfriend who just happens to be the son of two region leaders. He's a combination of two of the most powerful and historical families in the Mica Realm-the Zirconiums and the Chlorine-Zircons."

"Professor Zircon is from a powerful family?" I asked.

X rolled her eyes. "I thought everyone knew that."

"No," I replied. "I hadn't even heard of him until last week."

"Yeah, the Chlorines were a famous family in Lightningland," Y explained. "Legend has it that Professor Zircon changed his name to show his love for Zarrgonn, the capital."

"He changed his name?" I was curious to learn more. "He must really love Lightningland."

"Definitely," X responded.

"Have you even met him?" I asked her. "I mean, you're so knowledgeable of this subject."

X turned away. Y was silent for a moment, then said, "No."

The air was tense. I took a step back, and for a moment I felt something strange, as if twelve people were here with me.

A blonde couple, both with glasses.

A red-haired woman I now recognised to be Russet Technetium.

Another woman with ginger hair and brown eyes, but with darker skin.

A smiling woman with long blue hair.

A motherly-looking woman with brown hair.

A blonde man, standing with two men with ice-blue hair. One wore a crown.

A shorter man with short black hair.

A blonde woman with brown eyes.

And a blonde woman with blue eyes.

Then they vanished with X and Y, and I was left watching my breath turn to clouds in the cold night air.


	15. Chapter 14

Erin was crying.

I found her in the tallest tree in the courtyard, her ginger hair fluffy from the rain. "I saw Harry and Kate together," she explained softly. "They were definitely flirting."

"I'm sorry," I replied. I tried to imagine how it would feel if Bayleef and Luke started dating again. The difference here was that Kate was our friend. _Or was she?_

Kate Hydrogen hadn't talked to us in several days. At lunch she ate with Alexis Cradone, Bayleef Boron, and Ava Arsenic. We had started to think of her as just another popular girl inaccessible by physical means.

"It's okay," Erin sniffed. "I could tell my feelings weren't going to last."

"Well then, why are you so upset?" I asked. "Come on, let's go inside. It's really wet out here."

She smiled. "Of course it is. It's raining."

Because it often rained in Normalia City, the teachers grudgingly let us eat in the gym. Coach Argon usually made students do at least twenty push-ups there, however, leaving it empty on sunny days, no matter the outside temperature. Today the gym was packed with all one hundred students.

Luke was in a corner, eating a sandwich and talking with Josh LaSquash, a shadow-stone type. He seemed to be doing well despite his lack of popularity, and I realized that Mac, Mason, Bayleef, and her friends were really the only popular kids in the whole school. _Bayleef was a horrible girlfriend,_ I thought. _Bringing all her friends to witness the break-up… Kate Hydrogen was there, my _friend! _Well, she's not my friend anymore…._

Bayleef seemed different today. Her expression was the same, annoyed and judging. Her hair was frizzier than normal from the rain, but it was her grey eyes that were so different.

She was staring at Luke hungrily, as if they hadn't just broken up. I could tell she longed to walk up to him and mess up his hair, which was looking considerably neater since they had been dating. She caught my eye with a glare.

Ash walked up to us. "While you two were outside letting the rain wash away your tears, I saw this." She held up a newspaper. There was a picture of me on the front page, and the headline read "Teenage Girl Stands Up To Team Vicious."

My jaw dropped. "How do people know…"

"Well," Ash explained, "I read _The Mica News_ quite often, and it seems like Voltorb Nitrogen is a very passionate reporter. He writes a lot of articles about team rivalries and pressure between regions. His sports articles are very in-depth." She shoved the paper into my face. "Read it."

I was halfway through an article about a sixty-four-year-old named Breloom Francium when Erin snatched the paper away. "Have you never read a newspaper before? Your article is on page three.

"Last week Annie Zinc became the youngest person to create a team at twelve years old," she read aloud. "Officer Jenny Ununillium says Team Finity didn't even have a region leader sponsor, just four kids. Zinc is a trainer in training at the Pokemon Training Academy of Normalia City."

"Let me see that," I said. I took the paper from Erin. Sure enough, there was a short article with a quote from Professor Alloy about my grades, and fortunately she didn't mention my C's. "Voltorb Nitrogen did a decent job," I grudgingly admitted. Even the photo of me was okay. The lack of colour made my hair look darker than it really was, so I was thankful that I didn't look like a stick of cotton candy.

"I could never be a reporter," Ash said. "I love writing, but only fictional stories. I think I'm going to be a librarian instead. That way I can smell the books all day long…"

She waltzed away in what appeared to be a dreamlike trance. Erin snorted. "Good luck with that."

"Well, it's fine with me," I replied. "Better than what Kate did." Kate Hydrogen was standing with Alexis Cradone, giggling and looking at the boys who were standing in another corner. "Disgusting," Erin muttered. "Acting like little girls."

I gave her a look. "And you never acted that way."

She shrugged. "I'm thirteen years old. Those days are over."

"You know," I said, "How is it that my two best friends are older than me, even though my birthday is in the third month of the year?"

Erin pulled out a peanut-butter sandwich and ate it in three bites. "I don't know," she finally responded. "I mean, my birthday is after the start of school, so it's not like I could've attended a year ago. Also, my age gives people something to blame my height on." She was already five feet and seven inches.

I rolled my eyes. Though Erin was a full three inches taller than me, she wasn't the tallest girl in the school. Ash was maybe a centimeter taller than her, and Marlo Xenon was very tall for a shadow-steel type at five feet and eight inches. Shadow-types were the shortest of all types, followed closely by ice and ice tea types. "I think you're a pretty normal height."

She sighed. "You're so convincing. Do you have any of that delicious birthday cake left?"

I handed her a piece. "It's been mysteriously disappearing for the past few days. I've also found some sugar-scented crumbs on Venonat's bed."

Erin looked at me, a smile on her lips. "Remember when your mom baked those cookies for us and Venonat ate them all?"

"He had stomachaches for days." My smile matched hers. "For a while he refused to eat anything."

We stood in happy silence for a few minutes. I finished reading the newspaper and handed it to Erin. We discussed current events, the next hockey game, and struggled over the crossword. We were trying to remember Lanturn's nickname when Mac and Mason walked up to us.

"Hey," Mac said. "Reading about what happened a few nights ago?"

"Er, yeah," Erin shrugged. "Some of these things happened after that, though."

"Did you see that Zirconium Palace burned to the ground?" Mason's eyes were wide. "And how Luke and Eevee escaped?"

It was my turn to shrug. "Okay? Yes we did."

Mason's eyes got wider. "Don't you think that's strange?"

I raised my eyebrow in mock indifference. "Not really. Hadn't it burned before?"

The two boys had started to walk away, but now Mac stopped. "Yes. But it was different this time. Apparently, the whole place was alight with an unnatural _purple_ fire. As if it had been set by a person."

I let my eyes widen. "Really? Now that is strange."


	16. Chapter 15

Mac Helium, Mason Yttrium, Zoroark and Kecleon Chlorine all walked into the room and bowed before their tall leader.

"Ah, it's you four." The man nodded approvingly. Behind him were full-size portraits of himself and Russet Technetium, her ginger hair dark in the purple light. "Mac, I told you to bring me a fresh towel an hour ago. My Raikou is wet and miserable."

Mac muttered, "Sorry, Professor," and stepped back.

His leader sighed. "I'm nine feet tall from the tip of my hair to the bottom of my shoes, yet sometimes I just can't get enough decent respect from my followers. When I was a student I never would have dreamed of disobeying my professor." A nearby fireplace flickered with purple light. "Once, a man even told me I was too old-fashioned. Look where I am now."

The others were too frightened to question him.

Sitting down at the head of a long wooden table, the man motioned for his family and followers to join him. "You four are the most faithful members of Team Vicious," he began. "And I would like to congratulate these two closest to me." Mac and Mason grinned in unison.

The man drew out two badges. There was a Groudon printed on each one. He pinned each badge on the boys' dark purple uniforms, and they traded in their Stunfisk ones. Kecleon fingered her Raikou badge nervously. Why were these ordinary members being promoted so quickly?

"Mac," her leader breathed. "Your father wanted you to join Team Vicious at age eleven."

"Yes, Professor," Mac replied. "We shared a love of it ever since my mother passed away."

The man nodded. "Your mother and I both taught domestic history at the Lightningland School of Literature. I believe her favorite author was Stephen Yttrium, a distant relative of Mason's."

"My grandfather." Mason glanced at his friend, who was trying very hard to hide tears. "He wrote about the beauty of Lightningland and Lazassa, and I fell in love with the realistic maps. He decided that I needed to move to Normalia when I was three. Mac and I became friends at age ten, but I was in Team Vicious at birth. I love its sense of history."

His leader nodded. "You have been cleared of all offenses."

Kecleon narrowed her eyes.

"And," the man added, "your hard work has paid off. The two of you are now officially my top henchmen."

"Wow!" Mac's excitement was remarkable. "The second-highest rank! I can't believe it!"

Well, you'd better believe it, Kecleon thought. Her husband Zoroark's expression was unreadable.

Zoroark's leader was his brother. His younger brother. Kecleon always felt that Zoroark tried harder, worked smarter, and stayed up later each night, yet it was Zygarde who achieved his biggest dreams.

She knew that life wasn't fair; and they were especially well off in the prosperous Mica Realm. But something seemed wrong about Zygarde's leadership, the way Zircon Manor was full of happy Team Vicious workers, the way they laughed, the way that the dark walls and black-framed windows were beautiful in a sinister way. She liked Zoroark's brother. But she couldn't deny the icy claws that fear gripped within her.

Ice is bad, she told herself. And so she destroyed the claws with a shock of her internal lightning.

"Well, that was a lovely meeting, wasn't it?" Zoroark smiled in the orange light of the sunset. His golden eyes gleamed.

Kecleon sighed. "Honey, you don't mean that."

"What?"

She turned to face her husband. "You can't let your younger brother push you around like this."

"He's not pushing me," Zoroark argued. "I willingly joined Team Vicious. No one forced me."

The first sun was now completely below the horizon, and the second began to sink. Kecleon felt as though she were spoiling a perfect afternoon. "It's Saturday," she said, "and yet we worked all day. Do you think the kids will be worried?"

Zoroark shrugged. "Zweilous had a dance at university tonight. I told her not to go with that jumpy grass type, it would be bad for her confidence."

"Honestly, Zoroark—"

"But that didn't stop her," he continued. "She's probably weeping in a corner somewhere."

Kecleon rolled her eyes. "I'm certain she's fine."

But Zoroark wasn't finished. "Poor girl… maybe she should have stayed home instead."

Change the subject, Kecleon thought. "Zekrom's eighteenth birthday is next Monday."

"Yeah."

Kecleon looked at her husband. "I was thinking Zweilous could come home for a day, and Zekrom could take the day off work."

Zoroark looked confused. "He doesn't work Monday."

"He does now," Kecleon replied. "Remember? All-Buy changed its employee schedules a few weeks ago."

"Oh, yeah," Zoroark nodded.

Kecleon wasn't listening. She was thinking about the day Zweilous left two months ago, the same day all schools started in the Mica Realm. She remembered how eager her daughter had been to leave, how she had begged to the Plantassa School of Environmental Science, even though the exact same school was offered in Lightningland for a lot less money. Was I really that bad of a parent?

"We work too much," Zoroark replied, almost as if he had been reading his wife's thoughts. "We should take a vacation. Get away from it all. Maybe the Great Ocean or something."

Kecleon rolled her eyes. "You know the Great Ocean has the exact same weather patterns as Normalia. And right now Normalia's shivering in their igloos. What was it that Carbon told us this morning? Ten degrees?"

"We really have been working too much," Zoroark conceded. Then he added, "Carbon always was a brick-head. I guess common sense just can't penetrate that green hair of his."

Kecleon gave her husband a sharp look. "That'll do."

"Could you believe the information he gave today?" Zoroark continued. "A girl—a teenage girl plotting to destroy Team Vicious!"

Oh, guardians. Here he goes again. "Zoroark, have you had anything to drink today?"

He looked at Kecleon incredulously. "Sweet zero dimension, why are you being so stupid today? We're in the middle of the desert. Of course I've had something to drink."

Kecleon shook her head. "I thought so. Maybe I should get you a cold root beer or something. The dehydration might be affecting you."

Zoroark shrugged. "No thanks. Anyway, I don't think Carbon is going to last long. He's late to work if he bothers to show up at all, and he slacks off on the job."

"What job?"

"Exactly," Zoroark replied.

"But what if he's right? What if the girl becomes our political and social enemy?"

Zoroark looked at his wife directly in the eye. "If that happens, Team Finity will need more than an unevolved Eevee and a few kids to save itself. They're no match for us."

Kecleon shivered in the light of the setting suns.

* * *

**Will Annie Zinc achieve her dream? Will Luke Zirconium ever be popular again? Will Erin Copper finally find the perfect boyfriend? And what will become of Team Finity?**

**The answers will only be found in books to come. Annie and Jack will be published on December 28. Unlike this story, you won't have to wait for each chapter to be released. All chapters will be released at once. Visit my profile page for more details.**


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